VICTORY! The Fight for $15 is won in MoCo

Rockville, MD – This morning the Montgomery County Council unanimously passed Bill 28-17 to raise the minimum wage in Montgomery County from $11.50 an hour to $15 an hour. The bill would raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour for employees of business of 51 or more people by 2021. The wage hike will reach businesses of 49 or less people by 2023 and business of 10 or fewer people by 2024. The passage includes a provision to index the minimum for inflation starting in 2022.

Rockville, MD – This morning the Montgomery County Council unanimously passed Bill 28-17 to raise the minimum wage in Montgomery County from $11.50 an hour to $15 an hour. The bill would raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour for employees of business of 51 or more people by 2021. The wage hike will reach businesses of 49 or less people by 2023 and business of 10 or fewer people by 2024. The passage includes a provision to index the minimum for inflation starting in 2022.

Councilmember Marc Elrich introduced the amended legislation in July 2017. The Montgomery County Council Executive Ike Leggett had vetoed the bill earlier this year.

Eighteen months of grassroots work helped bring us closer to a living wage in Montgomery County. This result is possible due to our coalition of partners, the Progressive Maryland Montgomery County Chapter, and hundreds of Progressive Maryland volunteers.

“Today the Montgomery County Council made the first step in bringing economic security for families in Montgomery County,” said Justin Vest, lead organizer for Progressive Maryland. “It currently costs $15.80 for a family of one in Montgomery County to live comfortable. A $15 minimum wage will help thousands find a better quality of life.”

“The passage of Bill 28-17 positions us to begin a strong campaign to advocate for a raise in the minimum wage at the state level,” said Larry Stafford, executive director of Progressive Maryland. “We will not be satisfied until a living wage is possible for all of Maryland.”